Republicans Randy Voepel of Santee and Travis Allen of Huntington Beach say oil and gas can be can safely harvested. Allen, a GOP candidate for governor, says the move could help lower gasoline prices.

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Fishermen, environmentalists and other critics plan to protest at the California Capitol before a public hearing on federal government plans to expand offshore drilling.

The meeting and march in Sacramento on Thursday come as two California commissions that oversee coastal lands and water pushed the Trump administration to leave the state out of its drilling plans.

The California State Lands Commission and California Coastal Commission say they will use their power to block pipelines that would get the oil on to land.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wants to open nearly all U.S. coastlines to offshore oil and gas drilling.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Emergency Management has proposed six sales of drilling rights off the California coast and a seventh off Oregon and Washington between 2020 and 2023.